The invention relates to engines, especially to the flow of fluid within the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the invention relates to the flow of fluid within the combustion chamber or cylinder of a gasoline or diesel engine.
It is well known to induce fluid, such as air or a mixture of fuel and air in an internal combustion engine, to swirl helically about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder in the direction of the piston, as the fluid enters the cylinder of a piston during the intake cycle or stroke of the piston. This is evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,045,655; 3,154,059; 3,875,921; 3,878,825 and 4,187,823, which describe such a pattern of swirling fluid within a piston cylinder. This particular pattern of swirling fluid is especially useful in diesel engines to increase mixing of the fuel and air and the buring rate, and can be achieved, for example, by using the teachings of British patents nos. 497,498 and 1,320,230 to direct a stream of fluid into the piston cylinder tangentially of the longitudinal axis of the cylinder to induce the fluid to swirl about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder. The invention is directed to inducing in the hollow cylinders of a gasoline or diesel engine, a totally different fluid swirling action which should prove highly beneficial to the operation of the engine.
Briefly stated, the invention is in a means for causing fluid to swirl within a piston cylinder about an axis which is generally normal to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, as distinguished from swirling about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.